PB Partners provided regular strategic advice and guidance to the delivery team and also facilitated an independent review to inform future developments. Demsoc provided advice on the digital platform that underpinned the project.

Dundee’s PB programme was developed in the context of existing community engagement strategies. In Spring 2017 Dundee Council approved £1.2m to be allocated from the Community Infrastructure Fund, equating to £150k for each of eight city Wards.

The ‘Engage Dundee’ consultation was run to create new Local Community Plans, receiving over 6000 responses, which informed the development of lists of projects for each ward.

The PB project geared up in the autumn with steering groups in each area, enabling awareness raising, process and publicity design. Activity included elected member briefings, and a community conference.

In Spring 2018 online voting ran over an 8 week period – at home or through outreach options including digital tablets taken to schools or to local events to collect votes, complemented by programmed voting events in each ward.

There were some remarkable successes:

11,472 votes were received, equating to over 10% of the City’s eligible 11+ voting population,

The majority had never participated in a community planning process before,

80% of over 4,000 residents who completed feedback forms thought it was a good way to allocate funding,

Over 80% felt they understood more about the options available, including their cost, and would take part again.

There were 30 projects funded, spread accross the city.

‘Dundee Decides’ was promoted to the community through a website, an animated film, a ‘PB comic’, by
press and radio advertising, alongside face to face outreach and word of mouth.